Anyone receive the new CalFresh EBT cards yet? Worried mine got lost in mail
Has anyone gotten their new CalFresh EBT cards in the mail yet? My worker told me during my last recertification interview (about 3 weeks ago) that California is replacing all the old cards with new ones that have better security features. She said I should get mine by early April but nothing's shown up. I'm getting worried because my next benefits load in 8 days and I don't know if my old card will still work or if the new one got lost somehow. The county office never answers their phone so I can't even check on the status. Anyone else in the same boat or already got their new card?
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Miguel Harvey
got mine last week. blue design now insted of the old yellow one. had to activate it by calling the # on the sticker.
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Finnegan Gunn
•Thanks! Did they send any instructions about when to stop using the old one? Or did your old card just stop working after you activated the new one?
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Ashley Simian
The rollout of the new CalFresh EBT cards is happening in phases based on case numbers. They're replacing them county by county, starting with the northern counties and moving south. Your old card will continue to work until you activate the new one, so don't worry about your benefits. If your worker told you early April, I'd give it until mid-April before getting concerned. If you need to check on the status, call the EBT customer service line at 1-877-328-9677 rather than your county office. They can tell you if a new card has been issued for your case yet.
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Finnegan Gunn
•Thank you so much for the detailed info! That's a huge relief to know my old card will still work. I'll try that EBT customer service number instead of banging my head against the wall with the county line.
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Oliver Cheng
•The EBT customer service never tells you anything useful though! I spent 45 minutes on hold last month and they just transferred me back to my county office anyway which then disconnected me after another 30 minute wait. So frustrating!!!
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Taylor To
I received my new CalFresh EBT card about a month ago. The transition is fairly straightforward. Your old card will remain active until you call the number on the sticker of your new card to activate it. Once activated, your old card will be deactivated automatically, and any remaining balance will transfer to the new card. If you're concerned about timing, there is a schedule posted on the BenefitsCal website that shows approximate timeframes for each county. You might want to check there to see when your county is scheduled for the rollout. Also, if you need to reach your county worker about this or any other CalFresh issues, I've had success using a service called Claimyr that gets through the phone wait times. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 that shows how it works. It saved me hours of waiting when I had an urgent verification issue last month.
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Ella Cofer
•Is that Claimyr thing legit??? I'm always nervous about giving my info to random websites especially when it has to do with benefits. Has anyone else used it before???
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Kevin Bell
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A MESS!!! I got my new card 6 weeks ago but then they sent ANOTHER one last week. Called EBT customer service and they had NO IDEA why I got two cards!!! Said to just destroy the second one but now I'm worried they'll cancel my benefits or something. Why can't they get anything right????
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Miguel Harvey
•omg this happened to my cousin too! she activated the wrong one and lost access to her benefits for a whole week until they fixed it
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Ashley Simian
•If you received two cards, definitely destroy the second one as they advised. This won't affect your benefits as long as you're using the first card you activated. Sometimes this happens when there's a system glitch or when a replacement request gets accidentally duplicated. Your benefits are tied to your case number, not the physical card itself.
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Ella Cofer
I'm in Sacramento County and still waiting on mine too! My worker told me April as well. I'm really nervous because I have three kids to feed and can't afford any gaps in benefits. Does anyone know if they alert you before they deactivate the old card? Like do you get a text or email warning? And do you have to go pick up the new card in person or they only mail them?
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Taylor To
•They only send the new cards by mail, and your old card will remain active until you personally activate the new one. There's no automatic deactivation without your action, so you won't experience any gaps in accessing your benefits. Once you receive the new card, you can activate it at your convenience, and the transition should be seamless.
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Savannah Glover
got my new card last month but forgot to activate it lol. my old one still works fine so guess it doesnt matter
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Ashley Simian
•You should definitely activate your new card when you can. While your old card works now, it will eventually be deactivated as part of the statewide transition. Better to activate the new one before that happens so you don't suddenly lose access to your benefits.
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Oliver Cheng
I got mine but I actually had a question about it that maybe someone can help with. The old card had my full name (First Middle Last) but the new one only has my first and last name. Is that normal? Will it cause problems when I use it at stores?
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Miguel Harvey
•mines the same way, no middle name on new card. hasnt been a problem at any stores. they dont check names anyway just want the pin
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Finnegan Gunn
Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I checked the BenefitsCal website and saw that my county's rollout is scheduled for the second week of April, so that explains the timing. I feel much better knowing my old card will still work until I activate the new one. Will keep an eye on my mail and try not to worry so much!
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Ashley Simian
•Glad you found the information! Just remember to activate your new card as soon as you receive it. The process only takes a few minutes, and it's better to do it right away than to set it aside and forget.
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Eloise Kendrick
I'm still waiting for mine too and getting anxious about it. My benefits load on the 15th and I'm in Fresno County. Does anyone know if there's a way to request a replacement if it really did get lost in the mail? I moved apartments last month and updated my address with the county but I'm worried the timing might have messed things up. Really hoping it shows up soon because I can't afford to miss a benefits cycle.
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